WEEK 2 Film Discussion PDF

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Going into the film, Countdown to Death: Pablo Escobar, I had a basic understanding of Pablo Escobar and his life. Like many others have said in their discussion posts I have heard about Pablo Escobar through prior classes and even other films and documentaries he has been portrayed in. I knew of his mass drug smuggling operations and specifically how the United States felt about him – that is he was destructive, tyrannical, and only concerned for his close family’s wellbeing. Beginning the film, I had no doubts of my prejudice and tried my best to view the film with a clear lens. However, whether due to my prejudice because of the information I had heard about already or maybe because of my focus in psychology for studies, I could not help but feel a sense of manipulation coming from Pablo’s justifications. Prior to the film I believed Escobar was hated by nearly everyone and never understood how he was not found and arrested earlier. However, its clear people not only close to him but in his community loved him and what he provided for them. They show clips of people who talk about him as a saint because he provided shelter for many disadvantaged people. His own hitman recounts his first-time meeting Pablo, expecting the person I described before the film but instead being surprised by his welcoming presents. When I heard these stories being told again, I felt that Pablo Escobar took advantage of the poor and less privilege by winning them over with wealth so that he could continue his illegal operations in peace. He was not helping the overall wellbeing of his community, rather hiding its problems behind a curtain of wealth. I really enjoyed this documentary. It’s important to talk about the whole history of anything, and with Escobar we generally hear one side – he was an awful drug dealer who killed people. We very rarely hear information stating the contrary, but to fully understand who he was and how he rose to power, it is crucial to understand the other perspective of him. Hearing from his close family members and friends really added to the film because, at least to be, it added a level of credibility while watching. I also liked how it was piece together, the interviews followed with pictures and videos of Escobar helps to stitch it together as one solid story. I watched this film with my girlfriend who had less information going into it and it was fun to share perspective on everything, that being said I also watched in a silent environment because documentaries like this can be hard to stay focus on for me personally if there are too many distractions. It is easy to get loss in the translator’s voices and find yourself listening rather then paying attention....